Sorry if off-topic, but I wonder whether a negative (albeit well written and argumented) has more chance of being on top in HN's comment section that a positive one.
And please don't get me wrong, I love when after a sensationalist article/title, a well written informative comment puts the article in its place, but the pattern seems to repeat itself in every kind of post.
So-called "negative" comments are usually far more useful than "positive" ones.
"Positive" comments only serve to make people feel good, or even just neutral. This really doesn't bring a wider or prolonged benefit of any sort.
"Negative" comments, on the other hand, often make flaws and problems more obvious. This is the first step in actually getting them addressed, which is a truly beneficial thing.
I would hope that useful comments, which often are seen as "negative", do get more attention here, just because they are more useful. This is especially true if the people here can in fact make a difference in some way by helping to resolve some of the problems.
The comment is at top because it has constructive criticism, which is quite a bit different than just a "negative" comment. Constructive criticism can just as well be delivered with a positive tone and I've seen those rise to the top as well. Likewise, there are plenty of negative comments that sink below if they're devoid of useful, entertaining or otherwise noteworthy content.
"Positive" comments only serve to make people feel good
Even if this were true, positive feelings are a powerful motivator.
But it's only true of vaguely kind/affirmative comments, and not all positive feedback can be categorized that way -- it's less common than it should be, but I've observed constructive positive feedback where the purpose is to describe specific positive effects and mechanics.
"Negative" comments, on the other hand, often make flaws and problems more obvious.
Depends on what you mean by negative.
If it's really pretty much about statements of fact making explicit the negative connection between some attribute / process and a goal under discussion, then sure.
But just as positive comments can be vaguely affirmative and only serve to make people feel good, negative comments can be vague and only serve to make people feel bad rather than illuminating a problem.
You could argue that making people feel bad is a powerful motivator, too, I suppose, and I suspect that if you do feel that's an important tool, people would appreciate knowing that up front.
Seems like it on most links posted. After reading the post and before viewing the comments I always say to myself in my head: "Ok, let's see why I should hate this."
Comments
Sorry if off-topic, but I wonder whether a negative (albeit well written and argumented) has more chance of being on top in HN's comment section that a positive one.
And please don't get me wrong, I love when after a sensationalist article/title, a well written informative comment puts the article in its place, but the pattern seems to repeat itself in every kind of post.
So-called "negative" comments are usually far more useful than "positive" ones.
"Positive" comments only serve to make people feel good, or even just neutral. This really doesn't bring a wider or prolonged benefit of any sort.
"Negative" comments, on the other hand, often make flaws and problems more obvious. This is the first step in actually getting them addressed, which is a truly beneficial thing.
I would hope that useful comments, which often are seen as "negative", do get more attention here, just because they are more useful. This is especially true if the people here can in fact make a difference in some way by helping to resolve some of the problems.
The comment is at top because it has constructive criticism, which is quite a bit different than just a "negative" comment. Constructive criticism can just as well be delivered with a positive tone and I've seen those rise to the top as well. Likewise, there are plenty of negative comments that sink below if they're devoid of useful, entertaining or otherwise noteworthy content.
Even if this were true, positive feelings are a powerful motivator.
But it's only true of vaguely kind/affirmative comments, and not all positive feedback can be categorized that way -- it's less common than it should be, but I've observed constructive positive feedback where the purpose is to describe specific positive effects and mechanics.
Depends on what you mean by negative.
If it's really pretty much about statements of fact making explicit the negative connection between some attribute / process and a goal under discussion, then sure.
But just as positive comments can be vaguely affirmative and only serve to make people feel good, negative comments can be vague and only serve to make people feel bad rather than illuminating a problem.
You could argue that making people feel bad is a powerful motivator, too, I suppose, and I suspect that if you do feel that's an important tool, people would appreciate knowing that up front.
Seems like it on most links posted. After reading the post and before viewing the comments I always say to myself in my head: "Ok, let's see why I should hate this."
Hah I promise that's exactly what my internal voice says when I click on any HN comment thread lately.